[This, obviously, has to spoil. But you knew that Chiaki and Noda had to get together in the end, right? They are in the OP after all!]

The OP was quite good, despite the 3D instruments.

The exclamation catalog [being updated, keep suggestions coming]:

• bokyaa
• gyabuu (?), gyabuun (scored)
• gyahou (given rice in Uraken)
• gyapi (excited over lunch)
• hoge (called by Nina Lutz)
• hogya (surprise at the need to play concerto properly)
• muki(iii)
• mugyaa (frustrated)
• mukyaa (shocked by violins / Chiyaki w/women / glad to remember)
• pugya (snatching pantsu)
• ukyu, Milch? (mild surpise)
• ukyuru... (unhappy)

There's a lot of pan-over-still, especially when Chiyaki conducts. I think he was only animated in ep.9 for half a second, and ep.22 for a second or two. There was also a rare animation when Chiyaki watched young Milch to conduct, which they just could not made still since it was a movie-within-anime. The lack of animation was skillfuly covered, but over time it gets annoying. Ep.11 had a ton of such filler in particular.

When Kiyora met Chiyaki at the Lutz's festival, I was a bit concerned briefly... As Saiko keenly observed in restroom once, he's weak against the beauty of talent. But given the premise of the story there is nothing to worry about.

BTW, Kiyora is the given name, Miki is the family name, I kid you not -- the confusion unseen since Yashima Sanae of Hanaukyo fame.

I just cannot believe that J.C.Staff missed the opportunity to refer Excel Saga with "the society to save Kuroki . . . FAILED". It was their own show!

I cannot understand why Kiyora, Kuroki, and Kikuchi ended with such wildly different results at the competitions in ep.17. It was perfectly explained, but what was the meaning of the difference in the story terms? It looks like the result was the same for all three.

Again in ep.17, I think Nodame asked the advice about carp which she was holding. If so, it's the oldest, hoariest, clicheest pun in the book. It was played to perfection though, as many things in Nodame. I need to rewatch to make sure.

Harisen's wife Kaori recognizes Shubert. All characters in this anime are inbred musicians (except the parents).

Nodame knows Yuuto from some school, I cannot remember what. Need to rewatch... unless it's something they picked from manga by mistake and forgot to explain. Kind of like the Akane's flashback to the skating rink in Ranma S.1.

In ep.22 Mine uses "gyaboo", and according to the master catalog he uses it wrong. It's not the cry for desperation.

A sinister rabbit lays in ambush on top of the compact piano.

In ep.23, the Dragon Half ED.

Words:

seishiki: chief conductor
fukishiki: assistant conductor
hibitsukai: snake charmer
sodennoshita: kickback
mihanomono: groupies (?! ep.10)
なぜ目を逸らす【そらす】: why do you avert your eyes?
こだま: echo
ほうび: present of recognition, reward